Full circle and wows

A horse at the farm where my niece Alyssa is living - she took this photo when it snowed the other day - gorgeous! 

Thank you everyone who left such kind and encouraging comments on my last post!  I mostly haven't regretted my decision!   David is already starting to clean out/give away items in the Tokyo apartment with my remote help and he has moved his home office from a basically windowless room, out in to where I used to quilt - a major upgrade for him.   We FaceTime at least once a day, usually twice. 

The great news is that I have found a townhouse to rent here in NC.  There's a perfect spot for David's home office... and a tiny bedroom perfect for a little sewing room, yes!  I get the keys next week.  I'm working on all the details that moving requires.   I will breathe easier once our household goods are moved out of storage in NH and arrive down here in NC. 

In the meantime, I am staying with Noelle and Keenan and trying to keep a low profile, lol.  I am staying in their spare room and have my own bathroom and a beautiful view out of my window - well it might not be a beautiful time of year, but for me, coming from such city views, this is beautiful (it even snowed the other day). 

A little baking on a Sunday morning - these are such good cinnamon rolls from King Arthur Flour  and the recipe utilizes the Japanese milk bread method.  And I'm back in the U.S. which means no more tiny oven.  Eight big rolls, big cookie sheet, big oven. 

Noelle and Keenan's work from home vibe: 

It is amazing how you can't really predict life events.  Ten years ago we had been in Japan (the first time) for six months. Noelle was in art school in Boston.  I had made this quilt for her. 

Now ten years later, full circle, I'm the one sleeping under it, crashing at her place while I wait to get into my own.  During a worldwide pandemic.  While she and her husband work their tech jobs from home.  Wow.

I feel like I've made 100 of these square on square quilts.   This one qualifies as wabi sabi at this point, after 10 years of use and many washings.  

It needs some repairs, which will be a pleasure to do at some point! 

Faded label but the love never fades for my beautiful sensitive artistic first born child. 

People rarely think about how it is when expats return to their home countries, not just to visit, but to live at home again.  We have done it before so I knew what to expect but yes I am having the usual reverse culture shock.  Things seem big, loud, messy, friendly, easy.   I'm learning how to drive around comfortably again.  It's a pure pleasure to listen to music and NPR in the car.  I had to mail something overnight at FedEx, which I have never done before, and it was easy... finding the place, no language barrier, no 1000 step process for the simplest thing.  Did I mention EASY? 

I went to Target the other day and walked down nearly every aisle completely overwhelmed, not in a bad way, but in a "wow" way.  I just sort of thought "all of this feels relevant to me and I'd like one of everything, thank you" - ha ha.  I looked at bath towels.  Colorful, big, wow.  I bought myself a pillow and pillowcases, some Pepperidge Farm cookies, and the smallest water bottle I could find that wasn't a child's water bottle, and it's still at least twice as big as my Japanese water bottle.  I could read and understand everything.... and understand what anyone around me was saying.  Self checkout, wow.  Easy 15 minute drive from Noelle's.  Just, wow.  

I haven't been doing any hand work.   I want to get back in the groove.  I need to break the ice with my  appliqué again!  

One thing I still do everyday (easy, on my phone) is the NYT crossword which I love.  

The Monday puzzle from a couple days ago had an old-fashioned quilting reference that made me smile.

Speaking of word games, I'm also having fun doing Wordle once a day - I know many of us are!  I guess it's become a whole worldwide phenomenon!  It is not an app (beware imitations!).  

My goal is that before I post again, I will be back in the groove working on the two appliqué projects I brought with me. 

Hurray for January being almost over... 

xo

Cynthia 

Fall Festival, and pies

Today is the day we are linking up our finishes - or whatever we have - for the Fall Festival QAL with Lori at Humble Quilts.  Click here to see everyone's progress.

I neglected to get a photo of the top!  I am already machine quilting it, and snapped this quick pic before work this morning.  I really hope to have it finished in the next week or two!



I secured things by quilting in the ditch (along all the sashing and therefore more or less around each block/section) and now I'm just taking it section by section and free motion quilting - my very basic imperfect free motion but it gets the job done and it's just so relaxing!  I am absolutely in love with my machine - the Bernina 740.



I love the pineapples in the quilt.  Pineapples always remind me of my Mom (she loved that they symbolized hospitality)

.... and skillet pies always remind me of my Grandma Mary Lou.  My Mom passed away back in 1999, at just 55 years old (which seems younger and younger the older I get) and I still miss her so much.  I was so fortunate to have Grandma much longer.  She lived into her 90's.

I love using Grandma's cast iron skillets.  Nothing better.   And I smile remembering how my Mom would make a fresh apple pie, and we would devour it in one sitting "like a pack of wolves" as she liked to say!

Memorial Day called for a cherry pie:



Grandma's cherry pie recipe (although I admit to often using Comstock canned filling, with a little almond extract added):

Always homemade crust!  I've tried several through the years and this is my current go-to: 

In a couple of weeks I'm sure I will be making David's favorite blueberry pie for Father's Day.  This recipe is THE best, from the old Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.  I wish I still had Mom's old copy of that cookbook.




I know we all have our versions of the best;).

x
Cynthia